Chapter 4
You'll Be In My Heart
There were a few seconds during which time seemed to stand still. For a few seconds Niles couldn't even scream or cry out – he could only helplessly watch his girlfriend being hit by a car. The latter didn't screech to a halt, as the butler would have expected. The only screech eventually came from him, and he didn't seem to be able to get there fast enough as C.C. was thrown backwards by the impact, thudding painfully against the kerb.
The car sped off without delay, the driver checking over his shoulder to make sure he was getting away with it cleanly.
Niles didn't care at that moment. He rushed to the woman lying in the street, horrible images of the night they'd been told Sarah wasn't going to make it flashing in his mind in a prophetic way that he was dreading.
She couldn't be about to leave him, not like this, not when they'd just found each other!
But she was awake when he got to her, trying to cry out but the pain was preventing her – it was too overwhelming, and she tried to grab at her side, but her arms flailed until he caught one of her hands in his own.
"C.C.!" he exclaimed, holding her hand like it was a lifeline and examining her all over – no blood, but that didn't mean there weren't internal injuries. "Oh dear God, we have to get you to a hospital right now!"
"It hurts..." she managed to whimper, her breath catching as she tried to sob. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes...it all hurt so badly...she could only feel pain down her left-hand side, and she tried to stand, but one leg was unresponsive and the other unable to get her out of this position by itself. "Niles...help me, it hurts so much..."
He had realised she couldn't stand. He dreaded to think that the impact had left her completely paralysed from the waist down, but right then the important thing was to get her to a hospital. The sooner she was treated, the sooner she'd begin to get better.
"Grab my phone," she choked out, the pain making it difficult for her to speak. "It's in my purse."
He saw her purse lying a few feet away from them. He didn't want to leave her alone, but he knew he needed the phone to call for the paramedics.
"Alright. I'll take you to the sidewalk and then I'll look for the phone," he said as he prepared to scoop C.C. up in his arms. Lucky for them, a few commuters had seen what had happened, and a young woman was kind enough to hand C.C.'s fallen purse to Niles. He quickly thanked her and dialled the emergency services.
The ambulance was there in less than five minutes, and the paramedics quickly immobilised her neck with a C-collar before they placed her on a backboard. Niles could only watch helplessly as she was carefully lowered onto a stretcher.
"Niles?!" C.C. called out, scared because she wasn't seeing him from her position.
"I am here, love, I am here!" the butler said, running to her side and grabbing her hand.
"Please... come with me... don't let me go alone," she whimpered.
The butler looked up at the paramedic, feeling both helpless and desperate. He wanted to go in the ambulance with her, but it was all up to what the doctors said.
"Can... can I ride on the ambulance with her?" Niles pleaded to the young paramedic stood right in front of him and holding the stretcher.
"Of course! But we need to hurry up! She could have internal bleeding!"
He wasted no time. He climbed into the ambulance with her, not letting go of her hand for a single moment, and the paramedics shut the back doors to the vehicle before it began to speed away.
All throughout that journey, he kept hold of her hand, talking to her and making sure she talked back. The medical professionals administered something to give her a little bit of relief, which made C.C. slightly dizzy, but she was sure it was better than the pain she'd experienced from that car...
Niles was thinking about the moment it had happened, too. More like replaying it over and over in his head. He was just grateful that she hadn't been...right there, on the road.
The police would have to be told. They'd have to find whomever did it, obviously, and put him in prison. But that could wait until she was with her doctors – he'd have to call the Sheffields too, and let them know, and they'd tell Amelia...
Oh God.
What about Amelia? What were they going to tell her?
And it wasn't like he could ask C.C. what she wanted to do! Thinking about her daughter right then would only stress her and put her in more pain than she was already in.
No... he had to take care of everything until C.C. was better.
Once in the hospital he would call the Sheffields, ask them to entertain the young girl and tell them how C.C. was doing. He hoped it was nothing to bad, but it was clear she'd need help for quite some time. She probably wouldn't be able to drive Amelia anywhere or even take care of the house.
Lucky for her, he was more than willing to help.
The road to the hospital was relatively short, but once there, the stretcher was taken out of the ambulance and C.C. was quickly moved to a gurney, which was surrounded by the medical personnel that was awaiting for them.
It was then when they were forced to separate, so he called the Sheffields to give them the dreadful while C.C. got some x-rays and while the medics checked her out. He plopped himself down on one of the many chairs in the waiting area and retrieved C.C.'s phone from his pocket. He dialled the number he knew by heart and soon Maxwell's voice came from the other end of the line.
"Old Man? Where are you?! You and C.C. left almost forty minutes ago!" the British producer exclaimed.
"Sir, C.C. was hit by a car," he practically choked out – he couldn't believe those words were leaving his mouth. "She... she is alive and is being checked by the doctors."
"Oh my God!" he could hear the immediate worry and concern in Maxwell's tone, and in the back there was high-pitched commotion. Fran must have been inquiring what was going on. "Is she alright?!"
The question was natural, but it cut Niles deep because he wasn't sure of the answer, "Like I said, she's alive, but I don't know..."
A nasal voice interrupted with questions, "Has she been in with them long? Did you get the license plate? Have you called the police?!"
"Fran! Give the man a little bit of room, darling," Maxwell had obviously managed to wrestle the phone back from his wife. "We're coming down to the hospital right now, Old Man-"
"No, don't do that!" Niles cried out, making sure that the producer had stopped speaking before explaining. "I don't think it's a good idea if Amelia sees her mother like this. And she's going to need looking after, until we find out what's going on."
There was a pause, and a sigh, from down the other end.
"You're right, I'm sorry. I almost completely forgot about Amelia," he could almost picture Maxwell wiping his face with one hand wearily. "We'll try to explain to her as best we can – we'll leave out the details. Who is going to look after her?"
The answer Niles was about to give was interrupted by a doctor calling for him, and he had to excuse himself from the conversation to talk to the medical professional.
"How is she, Doctor?" he was desperate to know. "What's the news?"
The doctor made a quelling gesture with his hand and gave the butler a soft, encouraging smile. "She is alright. As the car wasn't going too fast, her injuries weren't as severe as we first thought."
Niles felt relief washing over him like a waterfall. A huge weight had just been removed from his shoulders and he felt like he could breathe again – she was fine... she was alive.
"However," the doctor continued, causing Niles to tense again. He felt as though his heart had leapt to his mouth. "Her left leg is broken in two parts and so are three of her ribs. She is also quite bruised and sore; she'll probably be sore for a few weeks, but overall she is fine. There was no internal bleeding or damage to her organs."
"So... what's going to happen to her now?" the butler asked, relaxing again. It was just a few fractures and bruises; she'd be fine.
"We put her leg in a cast and she'll need strict bed rest for two weeks. Afterwards, she can opt to use crouches or a wheelchair to move around, but she will need help," the doctor said, finishing his explanation.
She was lucky. She was truly lucky! He knew that it could have been a lot worse, so coming out the other side with just a broken leg and a few broken ribs it was not that bad. Of course he would be the one to help her around her house, but for now he just wanted to see her.
"Can I see her, doctor..."
"Smith. Dr Smith," the man said and began walking, beckoning for Niles to follow. "And of course! She is awake, if slightly dizzy due to the pain medication. But she is fine."
He opened the door to C.C.'s room as he said so and allowed the butler in. She looked up blearily as the door opened, and made to reach out for him, but the pain made her recoil, and she grasped at her bandaged side.
"Niles..." she groaned, still eager to have him near her again.
"I'm right here, love," he practically flew across the room to her bed, pulling a nearby chair underneath him and taking her hand in his again. He entwined their fingers, for comfort and to silently let her know that he wasn't going anywhere, either. "How are you feeling?"
"Just peachy," she groaned, laying her head back against her pillow, but angled so she could still talk to him. "I can't believe this happened..."
He wanted to tell her that it could have been a lot worse, but somehow he felt that that wouldn't get them anywhere. They both knew what could have happened, and they didn't want to think about it.
He patted her hand with his free one, "I know, love, I know. But the doctors told you everything, right?"
C.C. huffed, looking annoyed, "Yep. Strict bed rest for two weeks, and crutches or more likely a wheelchair to get around. How am I going to work, or get Amelia to school, or even actually do anything with Amelia, when I'm practically bound to my bed?"
He did love how much she was still concerned about working, and making sure Amelia's life wasn't affected. Her stubbornness wasn't in any way diminished by what had just happened. Her pride, yes, but not much else apart from the broken bones, and that would be mended in time.
The thought of not being able to do things for herself and her daughter, however...that would probably take a while longer. At any rate, now seemed as good a time as any to ask if he could be the one to help with Amelia.
"Actually," he began sheepishly. "I... I was wondering if you'd like my help in that regard."
C.C. cocked her head to one side. "In what regard? You mean with Amelia?"
Niles nodded, brushing his thumb against the back of her hand. "Yes. I could drive her to school, pick her up – I sometimes do that for the twins, too – and I could help you at home. You know, with the cooking, the cleaning... anything you need."
There were a few moments of silence that were spent just looking at one another. Niles was fearing that she wouldn't like the idea of him helping out – mainly because helping out meant that he'd have to move in with her or, at least, spend almost all his day in her house. But suddenly, her face broke into a smile and she cupped his cheek in her hand.
"You are such a fretting maid," she chuckled and pulled him down for a kiss. He was gentle with her, not wanting to put her in pain. "But yes, I'd love you to help me with Amelia."
He smiled against her lips, and kissed her several times more.
"Mm, this is better than the drugs they gave me," C.C. joked, earning a chuckle from the butler's own throat as its reward.
"Well, consider it my very own personal prescription," he murmured in reply. "Take as many as you like per day, but never forget to take them."
"I like the sound of that," she gave him one last, lingering kiss, before pulling away to recover air. "And I like the sound of your idea. But I suppose we'll also have to explain a little more to the Sheffields about what's going on between us so that they'll be more understanding of why you're doing this."
That was a point. They'd never actually gotten around to explaining to Maxwell and Fran that they were a couple...
It was going to be just as difficult, but for different reasons, to explain this in a way they could comprehend.
But it had to be done.
Niles kissed her once more on the forehead, and dropped back into his seat, "Agreed. And then I can either make arrangements to come over every day, or-"
"Why don't you just move in, temporarily?" C.C. interrupted his speech with the next idea that was going to leave his lips. "If Amelia needs someone during the night, I won't be able to get up to go to her."
"I was just about to suggest the fact that I could come and stay with you for a while," he gave her a wry smile. "But you beat me to it. I suppose it's better, coming from you, anyway. It's less of an imposition on my part."
C.C. rolled her eyes and entwined their fingers together. She adored his selflessness, but sometimes it was plain ridiculous. "Niles, you are offering to take care of me, you aren't imposing anything."
He shrugged. "I know... but I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable."
"Well, I am uncomfortable right now, but that is due to a few fractures rather than due to your British politeness," she tried to get more comfortable in bed to no avail.
"Want some help?" Niles said, getting to his feet. "I know it would take more than just a car to take down a succubus like you, but even demons need help sometimes."
He placed his arms under her armpits and allowed C.C. to wrap her own arms around his neck while he helped her settle in bed.
"You know, that's not a good thing to say when you'll be waiting on me hand and foot," she warned, although he could tell she was joking.
"Sorry, Babcock," he kissed her. "Old habits die hard."
"And speaking of old, Old Man," C.C. said, faking a British accent. "Could you call Maxwell so we can tell him about this? And I'd like him to bring Amelia over so she can see that I'm fine."
Niles nodded and retrieved her phone from his pocket. Once again, he dialled the mansion's number and passed the phone over to C.C..
Eventually, Maxwell responded.
"Hello? Niles?"
"No, Maxwell, it's C.C.," the blonde said.
"C.C.!" the blonde woman couldn't help but smile at how happy he sounded down the other end of the phone. "How are you feeling? Is everything alright?"
"Everything's just fine, Maxwell," she replied, catching Niles' eye as he watched her have the conversation. "I've got a few broken bones, but everything else is okay."
"Oh, well, as long as that's the extent of the injuries...!"
"It is," she told him. "But that's not all I was calling about. I was wondering if it would be possible for you and Fran to bring Amelia here. I want her to see that I'm okay."
"Absolutely, C.C.," Maxwell seemed to hold the phone away from his ear for a moment, most likely to call for his wife, but then he was back again. "We'll be with you very shortly."
"Alright," in spite of her injuries and the discomfort, C.C. started to smile. "See you soon, Maxwell."
Saying goodbye, she hung up the phone, and passed it back to Niles, who put it away in her purse. He then placed the little bag on top of the bedside table, figuring that they weren't going anywhere for a while so it would be best out of the way.
Afterwards, he immediately reached out for her hand again, and began to smirk, "Always going and getting yourself injured like this. What are we going to do with you?"
"And you always taking care of me," she retorted, squeezing his hand. She remembered that, on the other occasions when she had been hurt, he had been the one to look after her until she was healthy again. It was nice that they didn't have to hide their feelings behind insults and zingers anymore. "It seems we both can't get rid of our old habits."
Niles chuckled. Only now that they were joking he could relax. The hit and run hadn't been nearly as bad as it could have been, but it had been a stressful evening.
They were in for a relatively stressful night, too. The doctors wanted to keep C.C. overnight and Niles wasn't allowed to stay, but if she was fine by tomorrow morning, then she'd be allowed to go home with him. There was also the tiny (but ever so important) detail that they'd also have to tell Maxwell and Fran about their relationship, but they'd cross that bridge when they came to it. For now, they could enjoy from being together and from the fact that C.C. was alright.
"And I am glad it's that way, because I love taking care of you," he moved from his chair to perch on the side of her bed and leaned down to give her another kiss. "In more ways than one."
C.C. chuckled, although it sounded slightly resigned. "Well... we'll have to wait some time before anything of the sort happens, but we'll get there eventually."
Intimacy was uncharted territory, but they knew it would eventually happen. Granted, this would delay things, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It would give them opportunity to develop their relationship further before being intimate.
"I know we will," he gave her another kiss. "But there is no rush."
"Thanks," she threaded her fingers through his hair. "Come here and lie down next to me."
Niles wasn't about to argue, so he lay down by her side, taking care not to hurt her when he wrapped her shoulders in a one-armed hug. They stayed like this until for a while; actually, they'd nearly dozed off when the door was swung opened and a loud (and slightly anguished) "Mommy!" was heard in the room.
Niles immediately sat up and away from C.C., allowing Amelia to run to her mother's side. The Sheffields wandered in quietly behind her, not wanting to intrude so much on the moment between them.
"Hey, sweetie," C.C. reached out and began stroking her daughter's hair. "I'm sorry Mommy scared you like that..."
"It's okay," she said quietly, and with a little help from the butler, the girl clambered up onto the bed, and held the side of her mother not covered by bandages.
Niles left them be for a few minutes, and went to inform the Sheffields of what was going on.
"She has a few broken bones, but everything else is fine," he muttered to them.
"Oh, thank God!" Fran lay a hand over her heart, turning her eyes up towards the ceiling in her relief.
"How long do the doctors think she will be like this?" Maxwell craned his neck momentarily to look at his former business associate.
"About two weeks of strict bedrest, and then after that either crutches or a wheelchair until the cast comes off," he replied. It was going to be difficult, but he was sure they could manage.
All he needed was the Sheffields' approval – their permission, rather – to go and stay with C.C. so that he could help. And that would be something, probably, obtained easier when they had explained to the married pair what exactly was going on with them.
"That sounds fair enough," Maxwell said, heaving a sigh. This was not easy for the producer; last time he had been in a situation like this his own wife had died. He wouldn't have been able to bear it if something grave had happened to C.C.. "Although, come to think of it, she will be needing help!"
Well... that was convenient.
"Speaking of that, sir," Niles put a hand on Maxwell's shoulder and guided him away from the bed. "I needed to discuss something in regards to my... uh... living arrangements for the foreseeable future."
Maxwell arched a confused eyebrow. "What do you mean, Old Man? And what does this have to do with C.C.?"
Niles sighed. "Sir, Miss Babcock and I... well... aren't friends."
Maxwell rolled his eyes, looking irritated. "Niles, I don't believe this is the moment to analyse your... complicated relationship with Miss Babcock! I-"
"That's the key word, sir – relationship," he said, giving him a half-smile.
It didn't dawn on Maxwell immediately, but eventually understanding struck the British producer and his eyes widened. "You... you mean that... that C.C. and you are in a relationship?! As in a romantic relationship?!"
Niles nodded. "Yes, sir. It's still very new and we are waiting a bit to tell C.C.'s daughter, but we are dating. Seeing as she is in no shape to care for herself and Amelia, I was wondering if you'd allow me to temporarily move in with them to take care of Miss Babcock and Amelia."
"I see..." Maxwell's eyes drifted to the floor as he considered this new piece of information.
"I think we should let 'im," a new voice piped up, causing both men to start and spin around to find the source.
Fran was stood behind them, beaming.
"When did you arrive in this conversation?!" Maxwell almost hissed, conscious of the fact that C.C. was still busy with Amelia and might not appreciate them talking about this in front of her.
Fran shrugged, "I heard "romantic relationship" and I just kinda had to..."
She swept her hand through the air, before smiling sheepishly.
"Sorry, honey."
"It's alright, darling," Maxwell put an arm around her shoulders. "I suppose it's best that we both know now, rather than at a later date, anyway."
"That was my thinking exactly, sir," Niles replied quietly. "So, if I might ask again, is it possible for me to forgo my duties at the mansion, to help C.C. recover, and to look after Amelia?"
Maxwell hesitated. Not to get him wrong, he was happy for both of his friends (it was about damn time they got together) but he was worried about not having Niles around. Although they had hired a maid shortly after the twins were born so Niles had less things to do around the house and could help them with the babies instead, he was worried about how they'd manage without him.
The producer frowned as those thoughts crossed his mind. He was being selfish! He had his wife, his other children, his in-laws and even a maid to help him! C.C. had no one but Niles, and in this time of need C.C. couldn't go without the butler. Now not only enemy turned friend but also her significant other. Maxwell sighed. There was a part of him that had known that, even if he hadn't wanted to let him go, his wife would have forced him to not interrupt the development of Niles and C.C.'s relationship.
"Of course you can, Old Man," he said, but before Niles could speak he rose a silencing hand. "But could you still take care of the twins when both Fran and I are out?"
Niles nodded. "Of course, sir! Instead of taking them to the mansion I'll take them to C.C.'s mansion until you can pick them up!"
That settled it then. Now they only had to tell Amelia about the new living arrangements, although she wouldn't be told about their relationship just yet.
The girl was cuddled up against C.C.'s good side, and she had hidden her little face in the crook of her mother's neck. She was still scared, but being held by her mother was quelling her fears.
As the three other adults approached C.C.'s bed, they could only hope that she'd accept the new arrangement. Niles was more than hopeful, really – he really did like the little girl, and he wanted to be able to get along with her for as long as it took C.C. to get better. He'd be crushed if it turned out it was all too much for her. Not only would it mean not being able to spend time getting to know Amelia, but it would also set back his relationship with C.C., as well as make it difficult for her to recover and look after her daughter.
He didn't exactly know how to bring the subject up, either. Letting C.C. take the lead in speaking with her daughter when and where possible had been his method up until now.
Maybe if he addressed her first about it, she could then tell Amelia...
"We've just been talking over that idea I had," he said to C.C.. "About living arrangements, until you recover."
"Oh, right" wincing a little, C.C. tried to shift herself as upright as possible, but finding it couldn't be managed, Niles pressed the button next to her bed to raise it a little bit. Not enough to disturb her ribcage, but enough to allow her to look like she was actively engaging in the conversation.
She looked at Amelia took in a deep breath (or tried to – it was hard with a cast across most of her), and began to speak.
"Mia, honey...seeing as Mommy won't be able to do much apart from lay in bed for a while," she took her daughter's hand and squeezed it. "How would you like it if Niles came and stayed with us? He'd help Mommy get better, and cook dinner, and take you to school and anywhere else you wanted to go."
Amelia looked between her mother and the butler, a thoughtful look on her face. She didn't seem bothered by what had just been told to her. If anything she simply looked like she was a bit surprised, but not at all displeased.
The girl liked her mother's friend. He was good, he read her stories, made her and her Mommy laugh and cooked any breakfast she liked! Sometimes she feared that her Mommy would choose him over her, but her Mommy had always put her first. She'd always asked what she wanted, and right then Amelia knew her Mommy needed some help from Niles.
"It's okay," Amelia said, squeezing her mother's hand back. "I like him and I know you are gonna need help. So he can stay."
Both Niles and C.C. heaved a sigh of relief. Amelia was okay with the whole idea! She felt comfortable enough to allow Niles into her and her mother's life. Everything was going according to plan.
"Very well," C.C. kissed the top of Amelia's head. She wouldn't be allowed to stay in the hospital (neither would Niles) and it tore at her heart. But it was just on night! One night and she'd be going home to Niles and Amelia. "Thank you, sweetie."
"You're welcome Mommy," the girl briefly sat up and moved to Niles and gave him a hug. "And thank you for taking care of my Mommy."
Niles and C.C. shared a smile as the child hugged him. Everything was truly going smoothly.
Unluckily, things didn't exactly go smoothly later that night.
After it was decided that Amelia would be staying at the Sheffield's for the night, the girl got to say goodnight to her mother, received her goodnight kiss from her and left back for the Sheffield mansion with Niles, Maxwell and Fran. They made a quick stop at C.C.'s mansion and got the little girl's pyjamas, her toothbrush and a set of clean clothes for tomorrow. Afterwards, they returned to the Sheffield home and Fran took care of bathing Amelia and the twins while Niles prepared their dinner.
And so, after the three little ones had been properly fed and changed into their pyjamas, they were taken to bed. Seeing as Amelia had had a particularly rough day, Fran took care to tuck her in and read her a story before retiring to her own bedroom.
Meanwhile, Niles had used the time to prepare his luggage – he would be needing to take quite a number of things to C.C.'s house. He then changed into his own pyjamas and promptly slipped under the warm covers of his bed (not before checking on Amelia one last time, of course). Despite the stressful day (or, perhaps, because of it) sleep didn't take long to claim Niles, and the butler was soon immersed in a dreamless sleep.
Around three in the morning, however, the butler was suddenly awoken by a small, warm presence climbing onto his bed and snuggling against his side.
He opened his eyes to find a teary-eyed Amelia lying next to him. He frowned.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?" he asked, his voice hoarse and thick with sleep.
"I... I miss my Mommy and I had a nightmare," the child whimpered, hugging her toy monkey.
"Oh, sweetheart, that's alright," he hesitated for a moment, before realising his worry over what he was about to do wasn't as important as providing comfort, and wrapping his arms around her to envelop her in a hug. "You'll see her again in the morning. We'll go and get her from the hospital together."
Amelia relaxed her grip on the monkey, holding it under one arm as she began to hug him back, "I...I dreamed we weren't gonna get her...I dreamed she wasn't coming back...!"
In her words, he heard her fear. The dread that something could happen to C.C. felt like several thousand buckets of ice water being dumped over him, all at once, but to Amelia...it would be like the entire universe was being ripped away. She depended on her mother, and this was more difficult for her than words could really express. He held her to him as she cried fresh tears, leaning his cheek against the top of her head. She wouldn't know what to do if C.C. wasn't coming back, but in that moment, he realised he would. He'd be doing just as he was right then – looking after her. As long as it was allowed.
He'd take care of C.C.'s daughter – love her and protect her until his dying day. And something in him told him that that wasn't purely him vowing to do that in the unlikely event C.C. didn't come back.
No. He wanted to be a family – him, C.C., and Amelia.
But that was still a long way off. And if he wanted to prove himself worthy of being part of their family, he had to take responsibility.
"She is coming back, I promise she is," he murmured, rubbing the little girl's back. "We'll see her very soon...! It was just a bad dream, sweetheart..."
"You pinky-promise me?" the girl asked, holding out her arm and offering him her extended pinky finger.
He curled his own pinky finger around Amelia's. "I pinky-promise you. Now, what do you say if we take you back to bed?"
The girl tensed. She didn't look like she wanted to move, and soon his suspicions were proven correct when Amelia shook her head. "I wanna stay here, with you."
Niles pursed his lips. C.C. had told him about Amelia spending the night with her when she was particularly scared, but there was a part of him that couldn't help but feel C.C. might not like Amelia to stay with him, even if she was absolutely terrified. However, he clearly remembered C.C. saying that she trusted him, and that she trusted Amelia to be taken care by him. The girl was the most precious thing in C.C.'s life, and if she trusted him with Amelia, then he supposed he could make an exception.
"Alright, Little One," he said, lying back down against the pillows and allowing the child to settle on the space next to him. He tucked her in and she finally began to smile. "Feeling better?"
"Much better," Amelia said, hugging her monkey. "But... can you tell me a story? So I can go back to bed?"
Niles frowned again. He didn't really know any fairy tales off by heart – at least, not long ones that would be able to help her sleep. He doubted short versions would do the trick, either.
But another idea came into his mind. He could always remember songs.
"I'm afraid I don't have any storybooks, Little One," he sat up a little, looking down at her. "But I can sing, if you want me to?"
"You sing?" the little girl asked, and she smiled sleepily when he nodded. "Okay, then."
He smiled gently back at her, cleared his throat, and straightened out the covers as he began.
"Come stop your crying, it will be alright;
Just take my hand, hold it tight.
I will protect you from all around you,
I will be here, don't you cry...
For one so small, you seem so strong;
My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm.
This bond between us can't be broken;
I will be here, don't you cry...
'Cause you'll be in my heart,
Yes, you'll be in my heart.
From this day on, now and forever more.
You'll be in my heart,
No matter what they say,
You'll be here in my heart...always."
Amelia's eyes drooped as the song came to an end, and she began to breathe deeply and calmly, safely back off dreaming again.
He smiled to himself as the girl finally fell asleep. Seeing her so relaxed and at ease with him was making him feel things he had never felt before – an almost overwhelming and primal desire to protect and nurture Amelia, a strong feeling of endearment that was starting to border with love and a desire to see and make her happy. The little creature in front of him was absolutely precious, and he'd be damned if he allowed her to suffer.
He stroked her long hair softly. "Goodnight, Little One."
She didn't reply, but the smile she gave in her sleep when he touched her hair was more than enough. The thought of her tranquil smile actually lulled him to sleep when he finally settled back on his side of the bed and wrapped the covers around him.